Life insurer Royal London’s UK intermediary protection business, which includes brands Scottish Provident and Bright Grey, said the firm paid out £132m to critical illness policyholders during 2014. The largest payout it handled was more than £900,000.

Royal London said 94% of all critical illness claims were paid with just 1% of claims declined for non-disclosure.

It also reported the average claimant was aged 48 and the youngest adult claimant was 24 years old.

Around two-thirds (65%) of all critical illness claims were for cancer. This was followed by 13% of claims for heart attack and 6% for stroke.

For term life cover, the firm said 98% of claims were paid, which cost more than £58m.

Debbie Kennedy, head of protection proposition at Royal London's intermediary division, said: “It's pleasing to see such a high claims-paid figure, which helps generate massive confidence in Royal London with advisers and their clients.”

Kennedy said that cancer, heart attack, stroke and multiple sclerosis accounted for nearly 90% of all the critical illness claims that were paid in 2014. She said: “This is why we continue to focus our definition enhancements on the most common reasons for claims so that we can add real value and be able to pay even more claims in 2015.”